The invention relates to a nonwoven fabric and a method for making it. It further relates to a method for using scrap synthetic and natural fibers.
Nonwoven fabrics, which can be made relatively inexpensively by a variety of methods, are widely used in applications requiring a lowcost, durable material. The production of nonwoven fabrics could be made even more economical if uses could be found for the scrap fabric and waste fibers normally resulting from the process. One form of scrap material it would be particularly desirable to use productively is the material, called selvage, which is trimmed from each edge of the nonwoven fabric before the fabric is used commercially. Other scrap material, such as waste fibers, are often sold at distressed prices because of the lack of suitable uses for the fibers in conventional nonwoven fabrics. Such waste fibers and shredded selvage material are inferior fibers for making conventional high quality nonwoven fabrics, although waste fibers can be formed into webs or thin fabrics, which are usually then chemically bonded by such methods as dispersing polyethylene powder in the web and then curing.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an economical, strong synthetic fabric.
It is another object of this invention to provide a use for waste synthetic and natural fibers.